In the spirit of crass hypercommercialization that is The Day After Thanksgiving, I present...
My Holiday Wishlist!
Letters and writings from friends. Always number one on my list. :)
Levenger broad-nib fountain pen in Frost.
Levenger bottled ink. Since they don't have blue-black, Bahama Blue and Amethyst will do.
Plain 3x5" index cards.
It's not a moratorium if other people buy me dishes. Large plates, small plates, and cup/saucers.
16 GB iPod Touch. Hey, it's a wishlist, right?
CHI Straightening Iron.
Plumeria. The white/yellow variety is my favorite, but I'd take a start of any color.
Chaco sandals in Sundae, size 9. Or maybe 10.
Beautiful, completely fanciful black heels. Size 10.
Red! Size 9.5. Maybe 10.
Airplane lamp.
Airplane cake pan.
Electronic picture frame.
A take-no-prisoners pepper mill.
Baritone wind chimes.
Table Topics - Teen and Book Club editions.
True Colors game. A friend had this in high school, and it was quite fun.
A really good New Zealand travel book. None of that Fodor's crap. If only these people wrote for destinations outside Hawaii...
Bath stuff from LUSH: Creamy Candy Bubble Bars, Snow Fairy Shower gel, Youki-Hi Bath Bombs.
Sephora gift cards so I can buy sparkly stuff. Specifically, Nars eyeshadows in Caravaggio and Rated R.
Albums I don't know why I don't own - even just ripped mp3s:
Paul Simon, Surprise
Paul Simon, Graceland
Poi Dog Pondering, Liquid White Light
Smalltown Poets, Listen Closely, Third Verse, and It's Later Than It's Ever Been
The Sundays, Reading Writing and Arithmetic
U2, Rattle & Hum
Plenty of books and such on my Amazon wishlist. Specifically, this book.
23 November 2007
22 November 2007
A Liveblogged Thanksgiving
Time to cook! Wheeee! Since I have the laptop in the kitchen with recipes, why not blog?
828a Someone got donuts this morning. Sweet.
835a Pies are in the oven.
917a Making dough for dinner rolls. These and these, which I haven't tried before. I'm using my bread machine to mix one recipe of dough, and my Select button is acting hinky again, which is the problem of the last one I had. So I gotta call the warranty folks again. Grrrr...
943a Rolls are rising. I love wireless internet. Computing in the kitchen.
1015a Punching down dough.
1036a Bread for stuffing is toasted. I never liked stuffing - especially crap cooked inside the bird. Ew. I just don't like that texture of soggy bread - stuffing, bread pudding, centers of French toast. Yuck. But the stuff that I make, it's more like vegetables and apples baked with bread cubes - pretty dry, really. I'll post the recipe later.
1048a Wheat rolls have been coiled into muffin cups and are rising. Oat rolls have been rolled into balls, brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with more oats. All are rising. These wheat rolls are majorly fluffy. They rise like mad. I don't think my little muffin cups are going to contain them...
1139a Turkey breasts are de-brined, buttered, herbed, and in the oven. So are the gargantuan wheat rolls. Turns out two roll recipes were overkill.
1230p Taking a break!
110p Potatoes are chopped and boiling (well, almost), and stuffing apples, celery, garlic, and onions are simmering in chicken stock:
138p Plates set out. Now just waiting for stuffing and bird in oven. Corn pudding is out, green bean casserole about to go in. Potatoes boiling on the stovetop. The cranberry sauce is out of the can. Wine. I need wine.
218p Everything is ready to go - turkey is impeccably juicy. Primo. Just waiting for the pan juices to come to a boil so I can make gravy for the gravy-eaters. The Gravy Eaters. Sounds very Steinbeck. Or a Homer painting.
707p I don't know what was in that food, but we all zonked out after dinner. Well, apparently not all of us, because I woke up to find that pie had been had, plus all the dishes had been done and leftovers put away. It's a Thanksgiving miracle!
832p Mmmm - pie!
828a Someone got donuts this morning. Sweet.
835a Pies are in the oven.
Mom's Maple-Pecan Pie
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 c. corn syrup
1 t. vanilla
1 c. pecans (I usually over-pecan)
1/2 t. Mapleine
Cream together sugar and butter, stir in flour, then eggs. Add corn syrup, vanilla, and Mapleine. Pour into unbaked pie shell. Top with pecans.
Bake at 400 degF for 15 min, then reduce heat to 350 degF and bake 30 min more, or until done.
917a Making dough for dinner rolls. These and these, which I haven't tried before. I'm using my bread machine to mix one recipe of dough, and my Select button is acting hinky again, which is the problem of the last one I had. So I gotta call the warranty folks again. Grrrr...
943a Rolls are rising. I love wireless internet. Computing in the kitchen.
1015a Punching down dough.
1036a Bread for stuffing is toasted. I never liked stuffing - especially crap cooked inside the bird. Ew. I just don't like that texture of soggy bread - stuffing, bread pudding, centers of French toast. Yuck. But the stuff that I make, it's more like vegetables and apples baked with bread cubes - pretty dry, really. I'll post the recipe later.
1048a Wheat rolls have been coiled into muffin cups and are rising. Oat rolls have been rolled into balls, brushed with egg wash and sprinkled with more oats. All are rising. These wheat rolls are majorly fluffy. They rise like mad. I don't think my little muffin cups are going to contain them...
1139a Turkey breasts are de-brined, buttered, herbed, and in the oven. So are the gargantuan wheat rolls. Turns out two roll recipes were overkill.
1230p Taking a break!
110p Potatoes are chopped and boiling (well, almost), and stuffing apples, celery, garlic, and onions are simmering in chicken stock:
Dressing with Roasted Garlic and Apples
1 c. onion, diced
1 c. celery, diced
1 c. Granny Smith apples, diced
1/4 c. shallots, minced
2 T. butter
2 c. hearty chicken stock
2 T. roasted garlic puree
1/2 t. fresh thyme, chopped
1 T. fresh chives, chopped
1 T. fresh basil, chopped
4+ c. diced bread croutons, toasted (I use honey wheat berry bread)
In a large skillet, saute onions, celery, apples, and shallots over medium heat in butter until tender. Add stock and simmer until liquid is reduced by half. Add garlic and herbs. Stir in croutons. Serve immediately, though I like to pile into a baking dish and bake (350 degF) until crunchy.
138p Plates set out. Now just waiting for stuffing and bird in oven. Corn pudding is out, green bean casserole about to go in. Potatoes boiling on the stovetop. The cranberry sauce is out of the can. Wine. I need wine.
218p Everything is ready to go - turkey is impeccably juicy. Primo. Just waiting for the pan juices to come to a boil so I can make gravy for the gravy-eaters. The Gravy Eaters. Sounds very Steinbeck. Or a Homer painting.
707p I don't know what was in that food, but we all zonked out after dinner. Well, apparently not all of us, because I woke up to find that pie had been had, plus all the dishes had been done and leftovers put away. It's a Thanksgiving miracle!832p Mmmm - pie!
21 November 2007
No. 100
Woo hoo! My 100th post. Seems like it should be more meaningful. Eh, not keeping with the spirit if I did.
Central Florida is such a study in contrasts. There's a lot of fake touristy crap, but there's a lot of real life, too. You just have to hunt a little harder for it. Yesterday, we spent the day doing real-life Florida attractions; today, we spent the day doing the touristy Disney thing.
Yesterday, we went to Lake Wales, south of Orlando. We drove Hwy 27 south, through citrus-country-turned-housing-developments. I bet it smells divine in March when the orange trees are in bloom. I'm quite convinced that if heaven has a scent, it's the smell of orange blossoms on a warm spring evening. It used to be the main pre-interstate artery of southbound migration. A major attraction of Lake Wales is Bok Sanctuary, a lovely preserve and gardens, the centerpiece of which is a carillon tower. With a resident carillonneur and twice-daily carillon concerts. We arrived in time for the 300p concert, and strolled the grounds during and after. The sun filtering through mossy oak trees in a grove was particularly lovely. Lake Wales is remarkably high, for Florida, the State of One Topographical Contour Line. There were some nice vistas from the gardens. Too bad you can't go up the tower - I'm sure the view is lovely. I took some pictures and will have them up online shortly. The visitor center had some interesting information about Mr. Bok and how he decided to put up a carillon tower in the middle of Florida, and we got to bang on a carillon bell - always fun. I was surprised to see that the bells and clavier are mechanical, not electronic. After our stroll around the gardens, we drove down to Spook Hill. Not so spooky. We put the car in neutral and rolled back "up" the hill, as per the directions. Woo. Of course, with a sign featuring such a benevolent-looking ghost, I guess I shouldn't have expected much in the way of spooky. Santa Cruz's Mystery Spot was far more interesting. Florida's Natural has a visitor's center on Hwy 27, but it's just a video tour, not an actual tour. It was getting late, so we passed it up. We also passed up "Goat Milk Fudge" and boiled peanuts.
Today we did Disney, a brave thing for the day before a holiday. I was expecting much larger crowds. It was busy, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't the crush-of-humanity for which I was braced. I try to avoid the public at all costs, but the Disney theme park crowd is far from "general public". That said, I've exhausted my quota of others' children. Admittedly, we were privy to only one nuclear meltdown, and only came across one band of disgraceful teenagers all day. But still... I've had my fill. There were loads of girls wearing princess costumes - very cute. And I wound up being the very object of my own personal vehemence: The Person Who Stops in the Middle of the Sidewalk. Seriously, I loathe these people. And my parents continually did it, forcing me into stopping, too. Mrmmf. We did a big mishmosh of rides and shows. I suppose the highlight of the day was our Jungle Cruise guide. That ride is wholly dependent upon the personality of the guide, and ours was nonstop witty, without being obnoxious. As a local, I always feel like an outsider, observing theme-park tourism from a distance. We don't deal with resorts or dining plans, and there is not a lot of pressure to do/see everything before flying back home. Not that it's a bad way to see the parks. It just seems like a vastly different experience from that of the average park-goer.
I feel like I had some more things to write about, earlier this afternoon, but they're gone. This is why I need to carry paper/pen around with me more often. I don't have the patience to text-message myself notes.
Central Florida is such a study in contrasts. There's a lot of fake touristy crap, but there's a lot of real life, too. You just have to hunt a little harder for it. Yesterday, we spent the day doing real-life Florida attractions; today, we spent the day doing the touristy Disney thing.
Yesterday, we went to Lake Wales, south of Orlando. We drove Hwy 27 south, through citrus-country-turned-housing-developments. I bet it smells divine in March when the orange trees are in bloom. I'm quite convinced that if heaven has a scent, it's the smell of orange blossoms on a warm spring evening. It used to be the main pre-interstate artery of southbound migration. A major attraction of Lake Wales is Bok Sanctuary, a lovely preserve and gardens, the centerpiece of which is a carillon tower. With a resident carillonneur and twice-daily carillon concerts. We arrived in time for the 300p concert, and strolled the grounds during and after. The sun filtering through mossy oak trees in a grove was particularly lovely. Lake Wales is remarkably high, for Florida, the State of One Topographical Contour Line. There were some nice vistas from the gardens. Too bad you can't go up the tower - I'm sure the view is lovely. I took some pictures and will have them up online shortly. The visitor center had some interesting information about Mr. Bok and how he decided to put up a carillon tower in the middle of Florida, and we got to bang on a carillon bell - always fun. I was surprised to see that the bells and clavier are mechanical, not electronic. After our stroll around the gardens, we drove down to Spook Hill. Not so spooky. We put the car in neutral and rolled back "up" the hill, as per the directions. Woo. Of course, with a sign featuring such a benevolent-looking ghost, I guess I shouldn't have expected much in the way of spooky. Santa Cruz's Mystery Spot was far more interesting. Florida's Natural has a visitor's center on Hwy 27, but it's just a video tour, not an actual tour. It was getting late, so we passed it up. We also passed up "Goat Milk Fudge" and boiled peanuts.
Today we did Disney, a brave thing for the day before a holiday. I was expecting much larger crowds. It was busy, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't the crush-of-humanity for which I was braced. I try to avoid the public at all costs, but the Disney theme park crowd is far from "general public". That said, I've exhausted my quota of others' children. Admittedly, we were privy to only one nuclear meltdown, and only came across one band of disgraceful teenagers all day. But still... I've had my fill. There were loads of girls wearing princess costumes - very cute. And I wound up being the very object of my own personal vehemence: The Person Who Stops in the Middle of the Sidewalk. Seriously, I loathe these people. And my parents continually did it, forcing me into stopping, too. Mrmmf. We did a big mishmosh of rides and shows. I suppose the highlight of the day was our Jungle Cruise guide. That ride is wholly dependent upon the personality of the guide, and ours was nonstop witty, without being obnoxious. As a local, I always feel like an outsider, observing theme-park tourism from a distance. We don't deal with resorts or dining plans, and there is not a lot of pressure to do/see everything before flying back home. Not that it's a bad way to see the parks. It just seems like a vastly different experience from that of the average park-goer.
I feel like I had some more things to write about, earlier this afternoon, but they're gone. This is why I need to carry paper/pen around with me more often. I don't have the patience to text-message myself notes.
And today I am thankful for not traveling this Thanksgiving holiday. The weather in the Midwest is atrocious, which has to be bad for on-time departures tonight. Plus, as Jess and I discussed today, you have travel amateurs dragging down operations. You know the kind: people who haven't flown in the last ten years, don't know how to navigate the idiosyncrasies of the TSA, want to check three bags per person and carry on eight, and - heaven forfend - try to carry on a Walgreens worth of liquid, gels, and creams. Not missing that at all.
I should get to bed. There is cooking to be done tomorrow! I can't wait to take my kitchen for a serious spin. If you're looking for a place to spend Thanksgiving, come on over - we'll have plenty of good eats.
I should get to bed. There is cooking to be done tomorrow! I can't wait to take my kitchen for a serious spin. If you're looking for a place to spend Thanksgiving, come on over - we'll have plenty of good eats.
19 November 2007
Legacy Teaching
One more post this week about teaching, and then it's Thanksgiving Break! A moratorium on educational topics is in place until next week.
I joke over there --------------> that I'm not a teacher, I just play one. And I really do think that. I never went to school with the express intent of becoming a teacher, so I picked up much of my training in teaching high school while I was in high school - I just wasn't cognizant of it at the time. I notice that I parrot a lot of my former teachers. I assign similar projects as I was assigned in high school chemistry. I've even said the same phrases as my senior-year-physics and multiple-year-social-studies teachers. I sense my favorite history teachers and professors, in my own classroom energy and management. I see my French and English teachers in me, too, particularly when it comes to compassion and individual attention. I heard a clip on NPR a couple weeks ago (I think - I can't find evidence of this anywhere online), in which the commentator said that he learned to be a waiter by pretending to be a waiter. That resonates - I think I learned to teach by pretending to be a teacher. Having had no formal teacher training, I model my teacherly behavior after my own teachers.
Of course, I'm already extrapolating this forward. Who are the future teachers sitting in my classroom? What are they picking up from me now that they will pass onto their students ten or twenty years from now? I already feel the burden of representing science to my students; they will form opinions of science in my classroom that will affect how they view science for the rest of their lives. But this newfound responsibility towards the future students of my own students - I'm constantly amazed at what is entrusted to me.
It's that time of year - Thanksgiving break is upon us and Christmas will follow closely. While I was an undergrad, I would occasionally stop in to see my teachers when I was home for university holidays. Even as recently as last Christmas, I visited the few remaining teachers at my old high school. Now I am the teacher being visited by former students. I gained incredible respect for my own teachers throughout my first year of teaching, but to have their perspective on these pleasantries, too... this novelty has not worn off! Of course, in this facebook age, it's remarkably easy to keep in touch with former students, and I think our school fosters a very different kind of relationship and involvement in students' lives than I experienced in school. Very much for the better. Anyhow, a friend and I were discussing yesterday our lack of friends who just drop by. Granted, my friend base is a 45-minute drive away, so a dropping-by requires a trip. Anyhow, my point is that I love it. So, if you're in town for the holidays, drop by! Your teachers would love to see you again.
I joke over there --------------> that I'm not a teacher, I just play one. And I really do think that. I never went to school with the express intent of becoming a teacher, so I picked up much of my training in teaching high school while I was in high school - I just wasn't cognizant of it at the time. I notice that I parrot a lot of my former teachers. I assign similar projects as I was assigned in high school chemistry. I've even said the same phrases as my senior-year-physics and multiple-year-social-studies teachers. I sense my favorite history teachers and professors, in my own classroom energy and management. I see my French and English teachers in me, too, particularly when it comes to compassion and individual attention. I heard a clip on NPR a couple weeks ago (I think - I can't find evidence of this anywhere online), in which the commentator said that he learned to be a waiter by pretending to be a waiter. That resonates - I think I learned to teach by pretending to be a teacher. Having had no formal teacher training, I model my teacherly behavior after my own teachers.
Of course, I'm already extrapolating this forward. Who are the future teachers sitting in my classroom? What are they picking up from me now that they will pass onto their students ten or twenty years from now? I already feel the burden of representing science to my students; they will form opinions of science in my classroom that will affect how they view science for the rest of their lives. But this newfound responsibility towards the future students of my own students - I'm constantly amazed at what is entrusted to me.
It's that time of year - Thanksgiving break is upon us and Christmas will follow closely. While I was an undergrad, I would occasionally stop in to see my teachers when I was home for university holidays. Even as recently as last Christmas, I visited the few remaining teachers at my old high school. Now I am the teacher being visited by former students. I gained incredible respect for my own teachers throughout my first year of teaching, but to have their perspective on these pleasantries, too... this novelty has not worn off! Of course, in this facebook age, it's remarkably easy to keep in touch with former students, and I think our school fosters a very different kind of relationship and involvement in students' lives than I experienced in school. Very much for the better. Anyhow, a friend and I were discussing yesterday our lack of friends who just drop by. Granted, my friend base is a 45-minute drive away, so a dropping-by requires a trip. Anyhow, my point is that I love it. So, if you're in town for the holidays, drop by! Your teachers would love to see you again.
18 November 2007
Untitled
All right, what is going on here?
I spent an evening this week on and around a large university campus. And again, as my weekend at Purdue last month inspired, I felt this relentless and inexorable pull towards college.
What do I do with this? Do I write it off as reminiscent of past times and move on with my life? Is it a product of my interactions with college-bound seniors? Do I indulge it and seriously consider going back to school full-time? And even if I did, what would I study? Beyond that, what is my end-game? This has provided a lot of material for my favorite game of "What If..."
I can't be a professional student - I have to have a reason. I know I do not want an education degree. Not that I wouldn't want to continue working in education, I just have zero - nay, negative - desire to take any more education courses. Would I eventually want to teach in college? Some of my students and colleagues would say yes. But I'm not so sure. Like a quotation previously posted, I really think my job as a teacher of teenagers is to get inside their lives and help shape them. Would I have these opportunities as a professor? Maybe. They'd definitely be different. I have a lot of liberties in terms of creativity and a wide variety of disciplines; I think I would lose these at a university, where I would be hyper-specialized. Do I take an evening class here or there? As if I even have time for that. But maybe it would get it out of my system!
Food science? Art history? Pharmacy? Chemistry? A PhD? Another Masters?
I am officially too old to be having a quarter-life crisis.
Hm. You know, that was just a flippant comment, but after reading one selection from that link, I now have to wonder. The frustration with a lack of feedback and progress indicators does hit a little closely...
I spent an evening this week on and around a large university campus. And again, as my weekend at Purdue last month inspired, I felt this relentless and inexorable pull towards college.
What do I do with this? Do I write it off as reminiscent of past times and move on with my life? Is it a product of my interactions with college-bound seniors? Do I indulge it and seriously consider going back to school full-time? And even if I did, what would I study? Beyond that, what is my end-game? This has provided a lot of material for my favorite game of "What If..."
I can't be a professional student - I have to have a reason. I know I do not want an education degree. Not that I wouldn't want to continue working in education, I just have zero - nay, negative - desire to take any more education courses. Would I eventually want to teach in college? Some of my students and colleagues would say yes. But I'm not so sure. Like a quotation previously posted, I really think my job as a teacher of teenagers is to get inside their lives and help shape them. Would I have these opportunities as a professor? Maybe. They'd definitely be different. I have a lot of liberties in terms of creativity and a wide variety of disciplines; I think I would lose these at a university, where I would be hyper-specialized. Do I take an evening class here or there? As if I even have time for that. But maybe it would get it out of my system!
Food science? Art history? Pharmacy? Chemistry? A PhD? Another Masters?
I am officially too old to be having a quarter-life crisis.
Hm. You know, that was just a flippant comment, but after reading one selection from that link, I now have to wonder. The frustration with a lack of feedback and progress indicators does hit a little closely...
Furthermore, a factor contributing to quarter-life crisis may be the difficulty in adapting to a workplace environment. In college, professors' expectations are clearly given and students receive frequent feedback on their performance in their courses. One progresses from year to year in the education system. In contrast, within a workplace environment, one may be, for some time, completely unaware of a boss's displeasure with one's performance, or of one's colleagues' dislike of one's personality. One does not automatically make progress. Office politics require interpersonal skills that are largely unnecessary for success in an educational setting. Emerging adults eventually learn these social skills, but this process – sometimes compared to learning another language – is often highly stressful.
No. I refuse to be the stuff of John Mayer songs or Broadway musicals. I just won't have it! I'm eight years out of college. I'm gainfully employed. I'm not questioning what I want to do with my life (well, okay, it does kind of sound that way...). It's not a restlessness, I don't think. I do have a significant sense of purpose - more so than I have ever had. Nor do I lack opportunity for self-directed learning - that is precisely what teaching provides, I'm just not the one writing the lab reports. Well, my term papers and lab reports are now just the prompts and the lab directions I write. I could psycho-diagnose this all night if I wanted to. And I don't. I just want to know what to do about this ceaseless flirtation by large research universities. Anyone?
16 November 2007
A New Plane in Town
The Airbus A380 made a visit to MCO earlier this week. I missed the takeoff and landing, but I did get to see it on the tarmac. I made a drive-by shooting of it on my way to work one morning - hence the crappy composition and the bad sun angle.
11 November 2007
Confession
Let's not even pretend I was serious about the Christmas playlist in my last post.
I fought it off as long as I could - I swear!
... horses horses horses horses horses jingalingaling! ...
10 November 2007
On the iPod
My Whose-Music-Is-This-Certainly-Not-Mine-
Where-Are-The-Dave-Matthews-And-U2-Songs Playlist:
Grounds for Divorce, Wolf Parade1
Zombie Nation, Kernkraft 400
7 Nation Army, The White Stripes
When Worlds Collide, Powerman 5000
You Are a Runner and I Am My Father's Son, Wolf Parade
Hang Me Up To Dry, Cold War Kids
Faster Kill Pussycat, Oakenfold f. Brittany Murphy
Shine a Light, Wolf Parade
Shimmer, Fuel (okay, something more in my realm)
Santa Monica, Everclear
#1 Crush, Garbage
Silent Running, Mike + The Mechanics
Closer, Nine Inch Nails2
The Kill, 30 Seconds to Mars
Pepper, Butthole Surfers
A Girl Like You, Edwyn Collins
Promise, Eve 6
Hey Pretty, Poe
Lump, Presidents of the United States of America
Cult of Personality, Living Color
1 I'm running the serious risk of getting sick of this song, I like it so much. It's like iPod autism - I will listen to songs I really like 18 times in a row (okay, not that many ... maybe 14), which has to contribute to a hundredfold increase in the likelihood I will soon start to detest it.
2 I really wish this had different lyrics. It's such a great sounding song, but it's nothing I can play for public consumption.
It's rather... aggressive music. That's probably good, because I'm arranging my kitchen and pantry, and I need all the energy I can get. Big task.
I'm getting excited about dusting off the Christmas Music Playlist. I just can't bring myself to play it before Thanksgiving. Even though stores have stocked Christmas merch since September.
Where-Are-The-Dave-Matthews-And-U2-Songs Playlist:
Grounds for Divorce, Wolf Parade1
Zombie Nation, Kernkraft 400
7 Nation Army, The White Stripes
When Worlds Collide, Powerman 5000
You Are a Runner and I Am My Father's Son, Wolf Parade
Hang Me Up To Dry, Cold War Kids
Faster Kill Pussycat, Oakenfold f. Brittany Murphy
Shine a Light, Wolf Parade
Shimmer, Fuel (okay, something more in my realm)
Santa Monica, Everclear
#1 Crush, Garbage
Silent Running, Mike + The Mechanics
Closer, Nine Inch Nails2
The Kill, 30 Seconds to Mars
Pepper, Butthole Surfers
A Girl Like You, Edwyn Collins
Promise, Eve 6
Hey Pretty, Poe
Lump, Presidents of the United States of America
Cult of Personality, Living Color
1 I'm running the serious risk of getting sick of this song, I like it so much. It's like iPod autism - I will listen to songs I really like 18 times in a row (okay, not that many ... maybe 14), which has to contribute to a hundredfold increase in the likelihood I will soon start to detest it.
2 I really wish this had different lyrics. It's such a great sounding song, but it's nothing I can play for public consumption.
It's rather... aggressive music. That's probably good, because I'm arranging my kitchen and pantry, and I need all the energy I can get. Big task.
I'm getting excited about dusting off the Christmas Music Playlist. I just can't bring myself to play it before Thanksgiving. Even though stores have stocked Christmas merch since September.
08 November 2007
Food Graveyard
Let us take a moment and mourn for the lost:
1-2-3 Jello1
Jello Pudding Pops (particularly banana; also chocolate-vanilla swirl). I know Popsicle makes some now, but... there's something not quite right about them.
Duncan Hines Tiara Desserts (we have so many pans - I should start putting them to use. My favorite was the black Forest cake, with the trifecta of sweets: chocolate cake, whipped cream, and cherry pie-filling goo.
Some really tasty toaster pastries that were round and sort of similar to Pop Tarts Pastry Swirls. They came maybe five to a box. The box was white, and I could swear the manufacturer's name was Rembrandt or Van Rijn or some other Dutch Master. My favorite flavor was cherry.
Boku Fruit Drink. Came in a tall juice box. Inventive flavors, for the late 80s.
Pizzarias. Pizza-flavored tortilla chips. This from the girl who can't ordinarily stand flavored tortilla chips. Doritos? Blech.
Chilito/Chili-cheese burrito. Still at some Taco Bells, including one in Tampa that is totally worth the trip. The original is from Zantigo's a Midwestern Mexican chain that was bought by Taco Bell in the 80s. Apparently, there are still a few stores remaining in the Minneapolis area. Totally worth the trip. From Florida.
Tribbles. Little mint chocolate chip cookie nuggets
Kool-Aid Purplesaurus Rex. It's grape. It's lemonade. It's a tasty beverage.
Snackwells Yogurt. Really more like pudding. A deep chocolate, prompting the wonder whether there was any dairy in it at all.
French Chew Taffy. Found this recently at Dylan's Candy Bar - yay!
Ben & Jerry's Cool Brittania ice cream. Strawberry and vanilla swirl with chocolate-covered shortbread pieces. Second only to Bovinity Divinity, which I would order because I'd get to say the name2 at the scoop shop.
New York Deli Potato Chips. These came in a purple bag with yellow writing. I swear I came across these within the past two years. Any crunchy kettle-cooked chip makes a good stand-in.
Orbitz. Better beverages through polymer chemistry! For a texture girl such as myself, I was destined to either love it or hate it. The vanilla-orange flavor was oddly appealing. To say nothing of the suspended bits of goo.
Hi-C Ecto Cooler. Sentimental value, but appealingly bright green. We3 have a can4 of this stuff aging ina cellar our high school French teacher's classroom closet.
1 Though this appears to be a reasonable substitute.
2 Same rationale applies for "Tiki Tots".
3 I hung out with an interesting crowd in high school.
4 Yes, a large can. Aseptic cartons are for pansies.
1-2-3 Jello1
Jello Pudding Pops (particularly banana; also chocolate-vanilla swirl). I know Popsicle makes some now, but... there's something not quite right about them.
Duncan Hines Tiara Desserts (we have so many pans - I should start putting them to use. My favorite was the black Forest cake, with the trifecta of sweets: chocolate cake, whipped cream, and cherry pie-filling goo.
Some really tasty toaster pastries that were round and sort of similar to Pop Tarts Pastry Swirls. They came maybe five to a box. The box was white, and I could swear the manufacturer's name was Rembrandt or Van Rijn or some other Dutch Master. My favorite flavor was cherry.
Boku Fruit Drink. Came in a tall juice box. Inventive flavors, for the late 80s.
Pizzarias. Pizza-flavored tortilla chips. This from the girl who can't ordinarily stand flavored tortilla chips. Doritos? Blech.
Chilito/Chili-cheese burrito. Still at some Taco Bells, including one in Tampa that is totally worth the trip. The original is from Zantigo's a Midwestern Mexican chain that was bought by Taco Bell in the 80s. Apparently, there are still a few stores remaining in the Minneapolis area. Totally worth the trip. From Florida.
Tribbles. Little mint chocolate chip cookie nuggets
Kool-Aid Purplesaurus Rex. It's grape. It's lemonade. It's a tasty beverage.
Snackwells Yogurt. Really more like pudding. A deep chocolate, prompting the wonder whether there was any dairy in it at all.
French Chew Taffy. Found this recently at Dylan's Candy Bar - yay!
Ben & Jerry's Cool Brittania ice cream. Strawberry and vanilla swirl with chocolate-covered shortbread pieces. Second only to Bovinity Divinity, which I would order because I'd get to say the name2 at the scoop shop.
New York Deli Potato Chips. These came in a purple bag with yellow writing. I swear I came across these within the past two years. Any crunchy kettle-cooked chip makes a good stand-in.
Orbitz. Better beverages through polymer chemistry! For a texture girl such as myself, I was destined to either love it or hate it. The vanilla-orange flavor was oddly appealing. To say nothing of the suspended bits of goo.
Hi-C Ecto Cooler. Sentimental value, but appealingly bright green. We3 have a can4 of this stuff aging in
1 Though this appears to be a reasonable substitute.
2 Same rationale applies for "Tiki Tots".
3 I hung out with an interesting crowd in high school.
4 Yes, a large can. Aseptic cartons are for pansies.
06 November 2007
To Whom It May Concern
The Teacher Recommendation Letter.
It's an... odd thing. One of the curious artifacts of my career. Over the past few years, I've had the pleasure of writing letters of recommendation for several students, including some students to whom I am quite close. Those letters are both the easiest and the hardest to write. What can you convey to a college admissions officer to convince them that the person on whose behalf you are writing should be accepted? How much does my opinion really matter? I mean, how many letters do college admissions offices receive that aren't full of gloriously high praise for the applicants?
I wonder whether I take my letter-writing more seriously than the students take their application. Probably not, but when a student gets waitlisted or rejected, I can't help but feel like I've been rejected, too. Last year, I wrote some (well, I thought) particularly well-crafted letters; I poured a lot of myself into them. I'd write, set them aside, revisit, revise, edit, rewrite, even sending follow-up letters once I got to know a student better. The average letter took me over a week to complete.
How can the essence of a student be distilled into a letter? (no more easy a task than their own application essays, certainly) I'm currently writing this year's crop of letters, mindful of the decisions that will be made as a result of them that will set the course of these students' lives. And the hardest part is getting started. Well, no, that's not true. Because I follow a basic format for all my letters and fill in the details; it's deciding what, exactly, to present about a student that is the tough work. Sometimes it's easy - there is one singular trait that stands out. They have fantastic artistic ability. Their analytical capability stands out among their peers. They're exceptionally teachable. Their elegance belies their age. Then, there are those who are more difficult to describe. The ones who evoke something more ephemeral to a teacher. These are harder to write than the shopping list of talents: work ethic, check; intellectual ability, check; leadership roles; check. The students who, deep down, you know are destined for great things, even though they make Bs in my classes. It's hard to write that and come off as sincere, though. I used to panic over how well I really know my audience. I would think, how do I know what the reader of my letter on any given day at any given university is looking for? That's the wrong approach. The goal of the letter, after all, is to paint a fuller portrait of the candidate, so any details are good details.
Because they are so much of myself, I keep my letters private. I require students to sign the waiver so my letters won't become part of a their record. I send them straight to the university myself or hand them over to our college counselor in sealed envelopes with my signature across the seal. Part of me doesn't want a student to be critical of my letter and think, "well, this piece of trash is the reason I didn't get in!" - however unlikely that may be. Part of me doesn't want students to know that I think so highly of them. That's an interesting conundrum - we all crave praise, but I'd hate for a student to grow arrogant as a result. Call it maintenance of the balance of classroom power, if you like.
So, Class of 2008. Good luck, and know that you'll end up where you're meant to be. But I'll still agonize over your letters.
It's an... odd thing. One of the curious artifacts of my career. Over the past few years, I've had the pleasure of writing letters of recommendation for several students, including some students to whom I am quite close. Those letters are both the easiest and the hardest to write. What can you convey to a college admissions officer to convince them that the person on whose behalf you are writing should be accepted? How much does my opinion really matter? I mean, how many letters do college admissions offices receive that aren't full of gloriously high praise for the applicants?
I wonder whether I take my letter-writing more seriously than the students take their application. Probably not, but when a student gets waitlisted or rejected, I can't help but feel like I've been rejected, too. Last year, I wrote some (well, I thought) particularly well-crafted letters; I poured a lot of myself into them. I'd write, set them aside, revisit, revise, edit, rewrite, even sending follow-up letters once I got to know a student better. The average letter took me over a week to complete.
How can the essence of a student be distilled into a letter? (no more easy a task than their own application essays, certainly) I'm currently writing this year's crop of letters, mindful of the decisions that will be made as a result of them that will set the course of these students' lives. And the hardest part is getting started. Well, no, that's not true. Because I follow a basic format for all my letters and fill in the details; it's deciding what, exactly, to present about a student that is the tough work. Sometimes it's easy - there is one singular trait that stands out. They have fantastic artistic ability. Their analytical capability stands out among their peers. They're exceptionally teachable. Their elegance belies their age. Then, there are those who are more difficult to describe. The ones who evoke something more ephemeral to a teacher. These are harder to write than the shopping list of talents: work ethic, check; intellectual ability, check; leadership roles; check. The students who, deep down, you know are destined for great things, even though they make Bs in my classes. It's hard to write that and come off as sincere, though. I used to panic over how well I really know my audience. I would think, how do I know what the reader of my letter on any given day at any given university is looking for? That's the wrong approach. The goal of the letter, after all, is to paint a fuller portrait of the candidate, so any details are good details.
Because they are so much of myself, I keep my letters private. I require students to sign the waiver so my letters won't become part of a their record. I send them straight to the university myself or hand them over to our college counselor in sealed envelopes with my signature across the seal. Part of me doesn't want a student to be critical of my letter and think, "well, this piece of trash is the reason I didn't get in!" - however unlikely that may be. Part of me doesn't want students to know that I think so highly of them. That's an interesting conundrum - we all crave praise, but I'd hate for a student to grow arrogant as a result. Call it maintenance of the balance of classroom power, if you like.
So, Class of 2008. Good luck, and know that you'll end up where you're meant to be. But I'll still agonize over your letters.
04 November 2007
Chasing Daylight
Attention, People Who Decide These Things:
Can we please do away with this daylight-savings farce? If there's ever anything that's truly outlived its usefulness, it's Daylight Savings Time.
Oh, sure, there are some crybabies who will claim, "but we get an extra hour of daylight in the summer!" or "but our children will have to go to the bus stop in the dark!" Suck it up, I say!
First off, Daylight Savings does not magically add hours of sunlight to the day. There's no astronomical solar voodoo going on - that hour of summer sun at 900p is given up by (read: robbed from) the morning. And I have to say, it just irks me when people say we get "an extra hour of sun". No we don't - count 'em up, it's still the same.
Second, if that extra hour of evening daylight is so great in the summer, why can't we have it all year round? It's getting dark at 430p now, it seems.
Third, as we approach the winter solstice, kids will again be walking to the bus stop in the dark. Funny thing, that angle of the earth's axis.
Fourth, the chore of resetting clocks is ridiculous. It's a completely unnecessary complication. Particularly this year, when DST lasted an extra week. Thanks, programmers everywhere, for making electronics like my car smart enough to change time on its own. Too bad your program was written before the DST date adjustment. And there's always the clock in your house or on your wrist that you forget, and you come across it four weeks later, have a fleeting moment of panic that you're late, only to have Father Time shout "psych!" People all across the country wake up an hour late or early, depending on the season, which does not foster good will towards DST, trust me.
I grew up in Indiana, one of the last states to adopt DST (RIP 2006, whyWhyWHY?). We never changed our clocks, ever, so it was a quaintly foreign concept to me. Our TV programs would shift by an hour, and times were listed as "700p, 800p in Michigan" - or maybe 800, 700 in MI. I don't remember, and don't feel like doing the math right now. My point is that I never had to reset a clock until I moved to CA, at age 24. Fall back, spring ahead, indeed. What the heck does that mean to a DST neophyte? Do we win an hour of sleep or lose it? I'll tell you what I've lost - time thinking about how superfluous it all is. When you really think about it, time - as it's been standardized in recent centuries, thank you railroads - is a largely artificial human construct. And here we persist in making time even more arbitrary by shifting things an hour for half the year because we can't leave well enough alone.
Let's get rid of DST and just keep our clocks the way they are next fall.
Footnote: Speaking of Indiana/Michigan, the area is called Michiana - no lie. But that sounds completely natural to my ears. On the opposite end of the state is Kentuckiana, which never fails to elicit a snicker from me. Do other states do this? Is the Florida-Georgia border called "Florgia"? (let's hope not) Was there a proposal for Indiucky (which may only be marginally sillier than Kentuckiana)? Wyodaho? There's the ArkLaTex and DelMarVa, which sound a lot sexier than
they look. I saw a street sign in Tampa recently - Floribraska Street. Really? People, I can guarantee you that Florida and Nebraska do not share a common border. Pick one or the other - you cannot have both in this case. I won't have it.
Addendum to Footnote: Dang - I hate when I write something and then I find out later that it's already been done. Seriously, I've had that bit about Florgia written for months.
Can we please do away with this daylight-savings farce? If there's ever anything that's truly outlived its usefulness, it's Daylight Savings Time.
Oh, sure, there are some crybabies who will claim, "but we get an extra hour of daylight in the summer!" or "but our children will have to go to the bus stop in the dark!" Suck it up, I say!
First off, Daylight Savings does not magically add hours of sunlight to the day. There's no astronomical solar voodoo going on - that hour of summer sun at 900p is given up by (read: robbed from) the morning. And I have to say, it just irks me when people say we get "an extra hour of sun". No we don't - count 'em up, it's still the same.
Second, if that extra hour of evening daylight is so great in the summer, why can't we have it all year round? It's getting dark at 430p now, it seems.
Third, as we approach the winter solstice, kids will again be walking to the bus stop in the dark. Funny thing, that angle of the earth's axis.
Fourth, the chore of resetting clocks is ridiculous. It's a completely unnecessary complication. Particularly this year, when DST lasted an extra week. Thanks, programmers everywhere, for making electronics like my car smart enough to change time on its own. Too bad your program was written before the DST date adjustment. And there's always the clock in your house or on your wrist that you forget, and you come across it four weeks later, have a fleeting moment of panic that you're late, only to have Father Time shout "psych!" People all across the country wake up an hour late or early, depending on the season, which does not foster good will towards DST, trust me.
I grew up in Indiana, one of the last states to adopt DST (RIP 2006, whyWhyWHY?). We never changed our clocks, ever, so it was a quaintly foreign concept to me. Our TV programs would shift by an hour, and times were listed as "700p, 800p in Michigan" - or maybe 800, 700 in MI. I don't remember, and don't feel like doing the math right now. My point is that I never had to reset a clock until I moved to CA, at age 24. Fall back, spring ahead, indeed. What the heck does that mean to a DST neophyte? Do we win an hour of sleep or lose it? I'll tell you what I've lost - time thinking about how superfluous it all is. When you really think about it, time - as it's been standardized in recent centuries, thank you railroads - is a largely artificial human construct. And here we persist in making time even more arbitrary by shifting things an hour for half the year because we can't leave well enough alone.
Let's get rid of DST and just keep our clocks the way they are next fall.
Footnote: Speaking of Indiana/Michigan, the area is called Michiana - no lie. But that sounds completely natural to my ears. On the opposite end of the state is Kentuckiana, which never fails to elicit a snicker from me. Do other states do this? Is the Florida-Georgia border called "Florgia"? (let's hope not) Was there a proposal for Indiucky (which may only be marginally sillier than Kentuckiana)? Wyodaho? There's the ArkLaTex and DelMarVa, which sound a lot sexier than
they look. I saw a street sign in Tampa recently - Floribraska Street. Really? People, I can guarantee you that Florida and Nebraska do not share a common border. Pick one or the other - you cannot have both in this case. I won't have it.Addendum to Footnote: Dang - I hate when I write something and then I find out later that it's already been done. Seriously, I've had that bit about Florgia written for months.
03 November 2007
Weight
Several of my blogging friends have mentioned the weight of life lately, so I'll throw my thoughts into the mix.
This year has been... heavy, overwhelmingly so, for a number of reasons. I've lost my study hall, which means I've lost my second prep period, something I was promised when I interviewed three years ago. So I'm teaching six classes, five preps. (teaching colleagues everywhere gasp) Actually, when you factor in my once-a-week club preparation and my student lab assistants, I suppose you could say I have seven. At least I'm not working weekends any more... Anyhow, I'm nearly a month behind on grading - what with our new house, plus a bunch of responsibilities heaped on m e the past couple of weeks. This year's theme is "suck it up," and I'm trying very hard to shoulder everything, but the cracks are beginning to show.
I'm annoyed that I'm being robbed of the joy of a new house: figuring out where everything belongs, rearranging furniture, hanging pictures, painting, meeting the neighbors. Instead, I get all the annoyances: the long search for something I need that could be in any given box in any given room, the inability to find something my husband has unpacked. I feel like a visitor in my house, rather than that sense of ownership that comes with organ izing one's things in a new space.
I'm annoyed that this is my fourth year teaching high school, and it feels like my first again.
I'm annoyed that the very thing that keeps me te aching (and not chucking it all and going back to industry) is slipping through the cracks right now: the personal connections with students and my investment in their lives. This greatly troubles me.
I'm annoyed that the weight is beginning to manifest itself physically. I feel just-on-the-ed ge of a potential sore throat, and I'm supremely lucky that I haven't been taken down by some virus; I'm totally ripe for it, what with my lack of sleep. My shoulders are so tight, it's going to take weeks to unclench. I've been noticing my heart doing 
that little skip-a-beat thing it does when I'm under pressure.
This is not good.
This weekend will be filled with grading, but the mountain is steep. Of course, I'm not making any progress at this moment... Oh, who am I kidding? I'll be up past midnight regardless. May as well write on the internet for a bit.
All right, then. Back to work.
Totally Inconsequential Stuff
I mean, I haven't had a meaningful post in weeks. Why break with tradition? Besides, I should be in bed.
I'm bored with my hair, and I have hair dye in the bathroom, but I might get some bleach tomorrow, if I make progress with work. Any wagers on whether this will end well?
More Top-Fives. Because I can.
Ballroom Dances
1. Samba
2. Swing
3. Foxtrot
4. Viennese Waltz
5. Mambo
Fresh Fruit
1. Coconut
2. Pears
3. Peaches
4. Raspberries
5. Pomegranates
Nonfiction Authors
1. John McPhee
2. Bill Bryson
3. Dave Barry
4. Sarah Vowell
5. David Sedaris
I'm bored with my hair, and I have hair dye in the bathroom, but I might get some bleach tomorrow, if I make progress with work. Any wagers on whether this will end well?
More Top-Fives. Because I can.
Ballroom Dances
1. Samba
2. Swing
3. Foxtrot
4. Viennese Waltz
5. Mambo
Fresh Fruit
1. Coconut
2. Pears
3. Peaches
4. Raspberries
5. Pomegranates
Nonfiction Authors
1. John McPhee
2. Bill Bryson
3. Dave Barry
4. Sarah Vowell
5. David Sedaris
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